The event is organised by the Nintirri Centre and chief executive James Jarvis said they had a 20 to 30 per cent increase in visitor numbers from last year.

“I haven’t seen the official count, but we’d be pushing over 2000 people in the park over five and a half days,” he said.

Camera IconThe West Australian Symphony Orchestra perfrom at Opera in the Gorge in Kalamina Gorge at the 2019 Karijini Experience. Credit: Shannon Beattie/Pilbara News, Shannon Beattie

The Experience is run in partnership with the Banjima Native Title Aboriginal Corporation and is driven by a desire to connect non-Aboriginal people with Aboriginal culture.

“Over the last three to four years, there has been a real organic recognition that if we want to hold the event on Banjima land, then Banjima people need not just to be involved, but to be driving, co-designing and co-producing,” Mr Jarvis said.

“They’ve been trialling things like tool and weapon making and bush medicine. Non-Aboriginal people have a real hunger and appetite to understand that history and will pay for the experience.”

Some of the highlights of this year’s festival included Fervor’s 10-course degustation dinners held in a secret location, Gina Williams and Guy Ghouse singing Songs in the Gorge, which they had written out of last year’s Experience, and a free jam session, which was uniquely Karijini Experience and drew a crowd of 170 people.

Mr Jarvis said people could expect more of the same and some new things as well.

“What we try to do is keep all of our good acts but also change it up,” he said. “We take about 25 per cent of our program and turn it over, create something new and give people a taste of something different.”